Online school touts options for students

Online schools are becoming a more popular option for teenagers and younger children.

Operators of one online school told 21 News how they believe it can provide the same benefits as a brick and mortar school.

Ohio Connections Academy held an informational session in Canfield Tuesday night for students interested in attending a public E-School.Staffers say the school caters to a variety of students.

"We have all walks of life in our school. We have the student who is an over-achiever who needs to move at a faster pace. We have students who need a lot of extra help who need to move at a slower pace," said Angela Dobbins of Ohio Connections Academy.

One graduate, who is now an employee, says online schools better prepare you for jobs or college because they teach you personal responsibility and independence.

Anna Ridenour said, "You don't have a teacher looking over you all the time. You have to learn to reach out to your teacher. You have to manage your time. There's no one telling you where to go every hour. You have to be responsible to do your own work and get your lessons done on time."

But aren't you missing out on socialization? They say parents and students make that happen by scheduling meet-ups.

"We connect students and families with others in their area and create to their own meet-ups. They are meeting at museums and going to parks and having naturalists do demonstrations for students," said Dobbins.

Ohio Connections says enrollment was at 3,200 last year and is expected to grow to about 4,000 this fall.

Two long-time popular events in Salem need a little help in order to continue next year. The events have become summertime traditions that benefit the city and local charities. For years the Arby's Car Cruise has attracted cruisers and car lovers every Saturday, and one weekend every June the show moves downtown for the Salem Super Cruise. It's been a labor of love for a group called the Cruisin Crew. But the crew is getting older and will step away after this year. "And ...More >>

Two long-time popular events in Salem need a little help in order to continue next year. The events have become summertime traditions that benefit the city and local charities. For years the Arby's Car Cruise has attracted cruisers and car lovers every Saturday, and one weekend every June the show moves downtown for the Salem Super Cruise. It's been a labor of love for a group called the Cruisin Crew. But the crew is getting older and will step away after this year. "And ...More >>

Niles was placed in fiscal emergency in 2014 after many of its major fund fell into the red. In fact earlier this year, the water fund alone was in the red by nearly $800,000. Now today the water fund is above water, sitting at over $200,000 in the black. Now as it enters the final quarter of 2017, for the first time in three years, all the major funds of the city, including water, light and its general fund have positives balances. City officials say it took a lot of har...More >>

Niles was placed in fiscal emergency in 2014 after many of its major fund fell into the red. In fact earlier this year, the water fund alone was in the red by nearly $800,000. Now today the water fund is above water, sitting at over $200,000 in the black. Now as it enters the final quarter of 2017, for the first time in three years, all the major funds of the city, including water, light and its general fund have positives balances. City officials say it took a lot of har...More >>

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is reviving legislation that emerged last year as then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump urged his supporters to watch Philadelphia closely for cheating at the...

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is reviving legislation that emerged last year as then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump urged his supporters to watch Philadelphia closely for cheating at the polls on...

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Authorities say they plan more operations similar to an undercover human sex trafficking sting in Mahoning County that resulted in charges against nine men, most of whom who were allegedly looking to buy sex.

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